Who's That Girl

WHO'S THAT GIRL: A higher education obsessed foodie who is documenting her life in the kitchen. I love to cook delicious, gourmet-style foods for those I love and always welcome a challenge in the kitchen.
With that challenge comes an impromptu nature. I tend to avoid following recipes to the exact, so you are not likely to find very many posted here. Being that I am a Libra and am learning to be free in the kitchen, the story always goes, "A pinch of this and a smattering of that!"
Thank you for visiting -- and happy reading!

Monday, February 27, 2012

I have learned something new. It is little chubby, round. Succulent and sweet. Requires patience and attentional.

Pearl rice.

I had never heard of such a thing when, a couple weeks back, I was grocery shopping for jasmine rice. Sitting nearby was a bulbous bag of chubby short grain rice. It almost didn't catch my eye. At the first side glance, I thought it was merely sushi rice.

But no. Not at all.

Pearl rice is technically in the same family or genre or camp as sushi rice. It's short and round and sticky and semi-sweet. But somewhat different in comparison to sushi rice. I can't put my finger on it just yet. It certainly is less finicky. That's obvious. Sushi rice is so tender and requires such attention. Think of pearl rice as the older, more mature and less high maintenance and, yet, still so decadent.

Yep. That explains it.

But what to go along with it?

I opted for a shrimp dish with an assortment of vegetables and herbs: Onion, red bell peppers, garlic, cilantro, parsley and this spicy chili seasoning one of my co-workers gifted to me during the holiday season.

I cooked the rice alone in my rice cooker, meanwhile, I sautéed the vegetables alone. I had marinated the shrimp in mirin and ponzu sauce then added chicken broth along with some rice milk. I cooked this at a rapid boil until the shrimp was ready, then served it along with the pearl rice.
Yum yum! My belly was pleased. Good food for the soul, too.

Friday, February 24, 2012

I hated avocados as a child. Hated them! These little green monsters had no flavor to me. On top of that, they looked funny. Of course, this was also in Los Angeles where the watery "guacamole" was a popular condiment. It wasn't guacamole, really -- just pureed avocado made to carry a minimal semblance of avocado. Guacamole on the cheap, I recall thinking. It didn't ever look edible and, frankly, didn't ever taste edible either.

Then I grew up.

When I make my guacamole now I make it with patience, love and consideration.

Yep -- three of the more necessary ingredients. What, you didn't know? Neither had I. But after have a ton of terrible guacamole and making some terrible guacamole along the way, I learned my lesson. It's all in the base.

What goes in: Tomatoes, onions, freshly pressed garlic, cilantro and lemon or lime if I am in the mood. I also add garlic salt and also pepper.

Then gently mash in the avocados with a fork -- and nothing else -- folding the avocados gently into the mixture with a light mash. This is key, lest you want a soppy guacamole. I don't care for that type, preferring a little bit of chunk to mine.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

A simple steak that has marinated overnight in a Korean BBQ sauce goes well with freshly cut stir fry vegetables. This was a very simple eat. I found that adding a little bit of sesame oil to the vegetables as they finished frying was a perfect addition. What a treat!